To the ends of the earth
by Dawn of Aiden
Summary: Mia always loved him... And he left. After months of regret, she decides to go out and tell him.
1. No Place is Home

_If I owned Fire Emblem, then I would be too busy relaxing on my yacht to write this._

To the Ends of the Earth

Chapter One- No place is home

She watched as dawn slowly rose, and sighed. She always had this romantic idea of dawn, duelling underneath the fresh sun was her most heard of love, but as well she had always wanted to just sit, and watch the sun rise with… Well, she didn't like to think his name.

The purple haired swordstress got to her feet, and drew her blade, letting it reflect in the sun… Beautiful. Finally deciding that she had to carry through her plan, she sheathed it, and took a long last look at the camp.

"Going somewhere?" a voice asked. She knew who it was by the tone, he sounded as if he was annoyed that he had to speak, and if possible he would have just not bothered.

"Shinon" she said.

"Mia" the pink haired man replied, from his perch in a tree.

"How long have you been there?" the purple haired woman asked, slightly bemused.

"Long enough… Now answer my question" he demanded, before he jumped down, landing softly, and looking at her with accusation in his eyes "Your going after him aren't you?"

Mia shifted uncomfortably "Yes…" she blushed a little "I have to… I…" she became silent and looked away "I need to find him"

"If you're not brave enough to tell me, then I think your going after him is a waste of time" the sniper chided her "If you go to" he stopped "Wherever he is, just to chicken out, well, that's a giant waste of time"

Mia looked at her feet "I love him, alright?" she looked at him "Can you please not give me a hard time about it?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. I can't stand him, but you… Meh, I can stand you. It might be less fun without you around. Possibly" he shrugged, and Mia knew that was going to be as close as she would ever get to a compliment from him. And then he said something she would never have expected "Let me go with you as far as port, at least"

"Shinon… Thank you" the girl smiled "I'd love some company… Are you ready to go now?" she walked over to a rock, and pulled out three swords and a bag from behind it. She had been planning for some time, she hadn't wanted to say goodbye to anyone, as it would have made it to hard if she had to. She had been smuggling supplies out here ever since he left. Ike. She missed him, and she missed how she had never told him how she felt.

"I can go whenever" Shinon replied "Are you sure you want to go? What if he doesn't feel the same, which as he left…" he let the silence grow.

"I would rather know for sure" the woman replied, as she began walking.

"Fair enough… Do you know how to find him?" he continued, and Mia got a sense that he would rather she did not go. But she had to, for the last four months she had woken up every day wondering what would have happened if she told him how she felt. Would he still of left? Would he have taken her with him? Would he of denied her? Too many questions ran through her mind every day to leave any doubt in her mind that she had to go and find him! She needed to!

"Calm, Mia, calm" she whispered to herself "I'll find him" she assured, mostly to herself "If it's meant to be, I will find him… Or I just follow the tales of the blue haired man with the sword as big as he is, either is good" she shrugged, and gave a carefree smile which had not been seen for many months now. Ike's disappearance had hit her hard, and she had smiled only rarely. It was a pity really, Shinon thought, secretly he enjoyed seeing her smile, it was warm, and was a good deal of the reason he had stayed with the Greil Mercenaries after the Mad King's War. Which again, he would die before telling anyone.

"You really wouldn't last long in the real world, would you?" he asked "I mean, with the best laid plans in the world, people will fail to achieve their dreams, and here you are just waltzing into yours and hoping it works out okay?" he laughed a little "It is a little funny, you have to admit… Or a little depressing, depending on what happens"

"Hmm" Mia agreed, and then both she and Shinon were silent for a good deal of time.


	2. Farewell Arrow

_If I owned Fire Emblem, I wouldn't be using a fanfiction site would I?_

Chapter Two- Farewell Arrow

The sniper took long steps, easily keeping pace with his companion. A woman whom he liked, not in any significant way, for he did not see himself as one of those fools who fell in love, but he liked her enough to wish that she would not go. Despite the fact he was by and large a sarcastic and uncaring man, he would have to admit that he did have an attachment to the purple haired swordmaster, her bright and cheery demeanour was a pleasant and amusing contrast to his own, but… She had changed since Ike left. He hated Ike, but he wished he was here, just so he would be able to see her smile every morning when either she or Ike woke everyone up as they cried out in pain after yet another pointless duel.

He really wished that things would be different, but ah well. He looked to her, and noticed that at least she had that familiar spring in her step back. Mia had always been a weird one, and she certainly had divided opinion. Ike had hated her when he left the mercenaries (Why? The bow user neither knew nor cared), and yet when he rejoined them the two were inseparable… He could not think of a time when they were not together… Not that he took much notice until after the Mad King's War, when the sub humans and the other wastes of space left. He remembered vividly how she had made so much effort to win him around, and not just him; she made so much effort to make everyone like her. Frankly, when he looked back it made him a little sick.

It did not take them long to reach their destination, a small port town. It had been the last place Ike had been seen.

"So this is it" Mia spoke up, sounding uncharacteristically glum.

"You wanted to go" Shinon replied "It's all on you… Have you even though about what you are going to do now?"

Mia looked to the sea "I have… I am going to do what he did… Buy a boat… A small boat… Load it with all I can and just… Sail… It sounds, beautiful..."

Shinon gritted his teeth. Some things he did love about this girl, but some things he could not stand. Her romantic idealism, even now, when for months she had been regretting her inaction over Ike, she managed to act as if the whole world had a rose tint to it. Some people were jealous of this optimism. It made the pink haired archer want to be sick. "You have a lot to do then" he decided upon, forgoing any detailed response.

"I do… Thank you" the girl smiled, and jumped at Shinon, taking him in a massive hug "It means a lot that you did this for me… Say goodbye to everyone for me" a couple of tears came to her eyes.

"You cry and I leave" Shinon responded, masking the fact that he was a little uncomfortable with the physical contact, whilst also maintaining his image. He smiled, and realising he needn't keep up appearances, gently took her into a hug "Do you need anything?" he asked, although he causally looked about to make sure nobody he knew was within earshot. Nobody was allowed to know he cared about anyone but himself, he was only letting Mia know as she was leaving the known world.

"I am good" Mia sniffed, wiping a couple of tears from her face, before letting go. She took a couple of steps back "I guess you won't see me again, will you?" she said, her voice trembling, although she put on a fake smile.

"It's been fun… Tell anyone I was nice to you though, and I'll find you, and make you regret it" the sniper winked, and turned away.

"Thank you for everything" Mia called after him, at which Shinon winced in pain. He knew he would never see her again.

However, he knew he had to do something for her. He had barely got to the end of the street when he realised what he needed to do. He headed straight to the nearest inn. He walked up to the bar, looking around with nervousness. This was new to him… He did not ask for help, and he had never tried to help another. He was not even sure if it would work. "I need a Fireman" he asked, looking at the barman.

The barman nodded "If you fancy a drink alone, away from it all we do have a private room free out back" he said, not changing his motions at all.

"I would appreciate it" Shinon replied, cottoning on.

The barman kicked the wall, and then showed Shinon through to the back. The room was dark, damp and small… A single candle sat in the middle, at a table around which three chairs stood. To anyone looking in it would be obvious that this room had some kind of underhand and dark purpose… Although a flicker of light showed that along the walls barrels were lined, making this less of a room and more of a storage cupboard. If he could get him to help though…

"Why are you doing this?" Shinon asked himself out loud as the barman left, closing the door behind him "Why do you care about what happens to her? This is a waste of time… She's going off the edge of the map…" he heard a noise, and his reflexes kicked in, he shifted all his weight to his back foot, and had his hands on his bow, with the other drawing an arrow. He scanned the room, looking for the source of the noise.

"You are jumpy" a voice floated though the air, a voice which belonged to the man walking from the shadows: Volke.


	3. Not for all the Gold in the World

_I don't own Fire Emblem, I only wishes I does_

**I know this is a very quick update, and quite a short chapter, but I wanted to get this scene done whilst the ideas were still fresh. I promise a longer chapters later to make up for this, but only if you say nice things. Or constructive things. Or anything really, I just enjoy the attention, like a puppy.**

Not for All the Gold in the World

"You are jumpy" the assassin, information gatherer and all around suspicious character Volke observed as he stepped into view.

Shinon relaxed his grip on his bow, "I am not the kind of guy who enjoys surprises" he replied, approaching the man.

"Take a seat" Volke asked, in such a manner that made it obvious it was not a question, as well as making it clear that he had no interest in continuing this idle chitchat "And tell me what you want" he added, with a slightly threatening undertone.

Shinon did as he was told, although he kept an annoyed look on his face as he did so. After Volke had sat across the table from him (which was odd, he did not think of Volke as the kind of man who would sit) "It is Mia" he began "She is leaving Tellius and-"

Volke visibly looked surprised "Leaving?" he asked a hint of emotion in his voice. Shinon could not tell which emotion it was, but… There was something there. Was it recognition? Surprise seemed the most likely, but somehow that did not seem to fit. In some ways Volke almost seemed, well, amused.

"Yes… She is going after Ike" Shinon looked at Volke with a question hewn into his features… What had caused Volke to react as such…? It was not something that anyone would have predicted. Further confusing matters was Volke's complete silence, he looked as if he were considering something. "Excuse me?" the sniper asked.

"So you want me to make sure she doesn't go?" Volke asked, slowly, carefully, as if he was still deep in thought about something.

"I want you to make sure she comes back… And… If she has to give up on seeing Ike, it is no big deal… understand?" the pink haired man ventured. He wondered if it was right, what he was doing. It was selfish, yes, but he honestly believed that she would be better off this way, Ike was, inadvertently, a cruel and selfish man, as Shinon saw it, he refused to share what power he had collected (For example, he was still formally the leader of the Greil Mercenaries), and preached his own high and mighty ideals without ever having to work to get to them, he refused to contemplate any grudges anyone else may have as worthwhile. He would disappoint her, in the end… She was better back here. He became aware that the fireman was not responding. "How much will it cost me?" he asked, readying his wallet for a beating… He had managed to save up a fair bit from bow sales, but he did not know if-

"I won't do it" Volke replied.

"What? Why?" the archer was visibly shocked "I thought you accepted any job?"

"A hundred thousand" Volke said simply "And I will tell you why"

Shinon's mind raced… He could not afford to spend that much on nothing… He got up to leave "How come you were already here?" he asked, as a parting shot.

"I am already working a job" the mysterious man replied, snuffing out the candle and vanishing into darkness.

**Sorry for the shortness, but I wanted this to be a stand alone chapter. And is it obvious who Volke is working for?**


	4. The first step

_If I owned Fire Emblem then there would have been at least 33.5% more carnage. There wasn't, 'cause I don't._

Chapter 4

The first step

"Well… farewell" Mia smiled to the crew of the merchant vessel. They had taken her some of the way, but from now, she was all alone. There was a faint splash as her small boat, big enough for her plus about a week and a half's worth of food and water which, with her notoriously picky style of eating, had been enough to give chef's of even Oscar's calibre headaches, and was an achievement in itself.

The crew mumbled various non committal replies, truth be told a good many of them would be glad to see the back of her. Especially the ones who wore white, for Mia had raised hell with them… Many showed the marks of her sword from duels. "If I come back this way, I will find you again, we can have fun!" the sword master continued, at which point she noticed the mood change and she swiftly climbed into her small ship before they pushed her. She failed to recognise a certain crew member at all, despite his past fighting alongside her.

At first, Mia rowed, watching as the mighty merchant vessel faded into the horizon… It brought back memories.

_Mia could only stand and stare as one of her worst nightmares began to materialise. She could see him; she could still make out the blue of his hair, she could tell the swords he had on him… But he either couldn't, or refused to, listen to her. _

"_Ike!" she screamed, wishing he would come back; she looked around for a vessel, anything, anything at all. Nothing. "Ike!" she repeated, hoping he would hear her. No such luck._

_Panic seized her "Not now" she muttered "Not now… Not when I was so close…" hours ago she had decided to risk it all and tell him, and then she found him, already at sea. She glanced around, eyes wide, and then threw her swords to the ground, swiftly followed by a good deal of her clothes. She took a deep breath, and dived into the water._

_It was cold and damp and foul. But she swan though it, taking gasping breaths when she could, ignoring the filth that surrounded her in the putrid water. She tried not to think what most of it was. She was soon past the foulness though, and she looked up… On the horizon, a small shadow. He was farther away. "I-mmph!" she shouted, taking in a mouthful of seawater, she spat it out, and tried to catch up again… If he saw her, or just saw someone swimming after him, maybe._

_Horizon, sea, sky, horizon, sea… It was all she saw, each time the black spot getting smaller and smaller, each time she saw it her muscles screamed at her to stop, to turn back. She ignored them, they could wait, she was strong, and she could make it. She had too. She would… _

_She looked again, and stopped swimming. He was gone. She could see nothing of him, just the waves crashing towards her. She froze, and sank beneath the water, letting fatigue take over her… To die like this… Alone, chasing after a man who wanted to go, and evidently did not care enough about her to stay… A man whom she loved… A man whose fierce fighting style, unrelenting determination and limitless strength had wowed her. A man whose kindness, whose sense of honesty and fairness, and a man who seemed to bring out all her best qualities, all everyone's best qualities, he inspired trust, hope… A man who had melted her heart, previously hard set on following an obscure fortune she no longer even fully remembered…_

_A man who would never give up. A man who won every fight he was forced into. Mia gritted her teeth, and pulled her head above the water, gasping into the light that was just beginning to fade. The cold, salty air stung the back of her throat; but she could not give up… She began to continue swimming after him… Before turning back, recognising the hopelessness of her current plan. She had to leave her success for now, she would do it, one day she knew… Just not today._

_It took Mia near enough half an hour to swim back, the tide steadily getting rougher, and when she did, she merely collapsed onto the beach… She did not notice how here it was much cleaner than where she left from. She pulled herself along the beach, and when there started to be grass, and trees, she just curled up and slept. That night she dreamed of that illusive horizon with that illusive man upon it, and over the following months she would often be seen looking into the horizon, and when asked why she would simply reply "I want to know what's there"._

The purple haired woman looked into the horizon "Let's find out what world you went too… Boss" she said with a solemn tone which had become increasingly common since Ike left, except from when she put it an effort. "Let's find out what you chose over me…" she paused, and decided that, as nobody was around to add "… Even though you could have had both".

This was a challenge, even for one as skilled as he. His task (a very well paid one) involved, for now, following the purple haired girl, the one who nowadays switched between sickening optimism and morbid contemplation at the drop of a hat. Personally, Volke wondered whether people preferred this to when it was just sickening optimism, before he realised he was not being paid to wonder, although if he was… He would have charged 6,000 for his opinion. Maybe more, if he didn't like the client.

However, he did see sense in wondering other things. For example, how he was going to follow her now without attracting attention. Even one who could hide as well as he could, would have nowhere on the sea. And worse, every moment he wasted took him one moment away from her path, and he was not good at tracking people over the sea. He would charge more for having to, that's for sure. He looked around, and wandered down the ships stairs, avoiding anyone, and ducking out of the sight of anyone who did appear, until he arrived in a far away closet, he opened it, and looked at what was inside. A smile appeared on his lips, hidden as they were "We had better go."


End file.
